Service valve



United States Patent Inventor John W. Mullins P.0. Box 20524, OklahomaCity, Oklahoma 73120 Appl. No. 755,000 Filed Aug. 23, 1968 Patented Dec.1, 1970 SERVICE VALVE 4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs. 7

us. Cl 137/318; 2 85/ l 97 Int. Cl .1 Fl6k 43/00: F161 41/04 Field ofSearch 137/223,

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,115,889 12/1963 Francketa1 137/318 3,162,211 12/1964 Barusch 137/318 3,428,075 2/1969 Wagner..137/318 3,450,149 6/1969 Brinda 137/318 Primary ExaminerWilliam F. ODeaAssistant Examiner-David R. Matthews Attorney- Robert K. Rhea ABSTRACT:Oppositely disposed parallel plates journal the respective end portionsof a pair of spaced-apart parallel standards to form a pipe clampingmeans. Each of the standards are provided with cooperating recesses,intermediate their ends, for nesting a peripheral portion of a line tobe tapped when surrounded by the clamp means. One of the platesthreadedly receives a valve housing having a line piercing core. 1

Patented Dec. 1, 1970 JOHN W. MULLINS INVENTOR.

FIG. 3

AGENT SERVICE VALVE CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION The presentinvention is an improvement over my copending application for LineClamping Self-Tapping Service Valve now US. Pat. No. 3,509,905, Ser. No.683,382, filed Nov. 15,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a lineclamping and selftapping service valve for a plurality of sizes ofrefrigerant lines. Many sealed refrigerating systems are not providedwith service valves on the highor low-pressure refrigerant conductorline. It is highly desirable to provide a means for ascertaining theamount of refrigerant gas or lack of it contained by the system or todetermine on which side of the compressor the trouble lies withoutdisassembling the system.

Most service valves of this class require that the refrigerant gas beremoved from a conductor line and the service valve soldered into theempty line thus necessitating a recharging of the system. Removal of thegas is also necessary because of the necessary heat used in solderingthe valve housing on the line. The principal distinction between thisapplication and the above copending application resides in the manner ofattaching the valve housing to a line to be tapped.

This invention includes a clamping means for connecting a valve housingto a refrigerant line, or the like, wherein the clamping means ismanually assembled transversely around the line. Standards, forming apart of the clamping means, are provided with a plurality of cooperatingrecesses in their respective sides for nesting a peripheral portion of arange of sizes of lines. Thus, this clamping means and a valve housingmay be easily installed on and tap a line without the use of specialtools, brazing or soldering the line. Furthermore, this service valveand line clamping means eliminates the necessity of removing refrigerantgas from the line during its connection therewith. I

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A clamping means surrounds a peripheral portionof a line to be tapped. The clamping means comprises a pair of parallelplates'having recesses in their respective and portions which journalthe respective endportions of a pair of parallel spacedapart standards,each having cooperating recesses in their respective sides which nest aperipheral portion of a line to be tapped when the clamp means is placedtherearound. pins, slidably received by apertures in one of the platesand one end of the standards, support the clamp means on the line. Oneof the plates is threadedly apertured for receiving a threaded endportion of a valve housing with its axis normal to the axis of the linebeing tapped. The valve housing is provided with a line piercing mandrelwhich ruptures and seals with the line for communication between thebore thereof and a gas passageway formed by the valve housing. Thus,this clamp means-and valve housing may be assembled on and tap arefrigerant line by the use of only a small wrench and withoutevacuating the line. Furthermore, the different recesses formed in thesides of the standards permit this service valve to be connected withand tap a range of sizes of refrigerant lines.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a single servicevalve and line clamping means for transversely surrounding and tapping aplurality of sizes of refrigerant lines which forms a seal with the wallof the tappedline.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective viewof the device and a fragment of a line to be tapped with the centralportion of the line broken away for clarity;

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view, partially in elevation, ofthe device, when assembled on a line; and,

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 illustrating the device connectedwith a smaller size line.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The pipe clamping meanscomprises an upper-or top plate 16,

a lower or bottom plate 18, standards 19 and 20 and a pair of pins 22.

The standards 19 and 20 are mirror images of each other and in theinterest of brevity only the standard 20 will be described in detailwhich comprises a relatively short length of hexagonal bar stock havinga length extending beyond the outside diameter of a pipe or line,indicated at 24, to be tapped. One end portion of the standard 20 isdiametrically reduced to form a coaxial stem 26 while each face orsurface of its hexagonal shape at its other end portion is transverselydrilled, as at 28, for reception of one of the pins 22 as hereinafterdescribed. Each face of the hexagonal shape is recessed on differentradii, respectively, as at 30, 31 and'32, complemental with respect tothe outside radius of a pipe or line to be tapped.

The bottom plate 18 is rectangular in general configuration having awidth substantially equal to the diameter of the standards and a lengthslightly greater than the distance between the outwardly disposedsurfaces of the standard 19 and 20 when positioned on opposing sides ofthe line 24. The plate 18 is provided with a socket or aperture 34adjacent each of its ends for cooperative reception of the stem 26 whenthe standards are disposed on opposing sides of the line 24.

The top plate 16 is similarly rectangular in general configurationhaving a width and length substantially equal with respect to the bottomplate 18. The depending surface, as seen in the figures, of each endportion of the top plate is provided with a recess or socket 36 whichcooperatively nest the respective upper end portion of the standards 19and 20 when the latter are straddlingthe line 24. Th top plate 16 islongitudinally drilled from each end, as at 38, for communication witheach of the sockets 36 and receiving pins 22 which extend through therespective alined bore 28 thus locking the top plate to the standards.The top plate 16 is centrally drilled and threaded, as at 40, on an axisnormal to the line 24 and parallel with respect to the longitudinal axisof the standards when positioned on opposing sides of the line 24.

The valve housing 14 is generally cylindrical having a diametricallylarger hexagonal head portion 42, intermediate its ends, and opposingthreaded end portions 44 and 46. The housing is centrally bored, as at48, and internally threaded, as at 50, for receiving a conventional airvalve core 52 and having a seat 53 which seals with a seat formed on thecore 52. The other end portion of the housing 14 is provided with anintegral diametrically reduced coaxial outer tapered wall pin or mandrel54, having a central bore 56 communicating with the bore 48, projectingbeyond the threads 46 and terminating in a beveled end surface 58. Thisend portion of the housing is further characterized by a cylindricalrecess 60 surrounding the juncture of the mandrel 54 with the body forreceiving a gasket, or the like, if desired. A dust cap 62, engageablewith the threads 44, is placed thereon when the device is not in use.

OPERATION In operation the clamp means 12 is installed on a line to betapped, such as the line 24, by manually positioning the standards 19and 20 on opposing sides of the line with the standard recesses 30nesting a peripheral portion of the line. The bottom plate 18 ismanually positioned over the stems 26 while the top plate 16 is placedover the other ends of the standards. The relationship between the linenesting radii and the spacing of the bottom plate apertures and thespacing of the top plate sockets 36 is such that the standards andplates are frictionally engaged with each other and the line 24 at therespective points of contact as an aid in maintaining the clamp means onthe line prior to insertion of the pins and valve housing as opposed toa loose fit of the line clamp means. The pins 22 are then inserted intothe respective apertures 38 and 28. The housing 14 is then screwed intothe top plate opening 40 until the mandrel 54 pierces the line 24. Thedevice is then in operative position for adding or removing refrigerantgas through the air valve core closed passageway of the valve housing.Movement of the housing into and during rupture of the line is achievedby the clamping effect of the standards pin locked to the-top plate 16wherein the bottom plate prevents any outward movement of the standardsas a result of the force applied thereto by threadedly engaging thehousing with the top plate threads 40.

When it is desired to use the device on a line of smaller diameter thanthe line 24, the standards 19 and 20 are manually rotated about thelongitudinal axis from the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, so that oneof the recesses formed on the'smaller radii cooperatively nests aperipheral portion of the selected line, indicated at 24'(FIG. 3).

I claim:

1. A line tapping service valve, comprising: a clamp means includingpairs of parallel mernbers'transversely surrounding a line to be tappedeach pair of the parallel members being separable members, one pair ofsaid pairs of members comprising a pair of standards 1 having recessescooperatively formed in their respective side surfaces for nesting aperipheral portion of a line to be tapped, the other pair of said pairsof members comprising a pair of plates, said plates each having socketsformed in its respective end portion facing toward the opposite one ofsaid plates for nesting a respective end portion of said pair ofstandards; a centrally bored valve housing engaged with one of saidmembers, the bore of said housing forming a gas passageway with its axisnormal ofa line to be tapped; line piercing means formed on the lineengaging end of said housing; and a valve within said housing foropening and closing the gas passageway.

2. Structure as specified in claim 1 in which an end portion of eachsaid standards is transversely apertured, and in which one of saidplates is provided with an aperture in its respective end portionsalined with the respective aperture in said standards; and a pinslidably received by the alined apertures for locking said clamp meanson a line to be tapped.

3. Structure as specified in claim 2 in which one plate of said pair ofplates is centrally bored and threaded on an axis normal to the axis ofa line to be tapped for threadedly receiving said housing.

4. Structure as specified in claim 3 which the line piercing meanscomprises a substantially truncated conical-shaped mandrel extendingbeyond the clamp means toward a line to be tapped and forming a beveledline piercing tip when said housing is rotated about its longitudinalaxis.

